Custom lightsabers, sonic screwdrivers, and other sci-fi props

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I’d like to start off with an apology. I’ve gotten a few emails about my sonic screwdrivers, and I’ve been absolutely terrible about replying to them. Usually either I don’t want / don’t have time to respond to them while I’m at work, or I think, ‘In a couple of days I’ll actually have some new information to report, so I’ll wait a bit and reply later.’ Then suddenly it’s three months later and I feel terrible. I finally sat down today and responded to most of them. If you’ve emailed me about anything and haven’t heard from me, and if this post doesn’t answer your question, by all means try again.

Never let it be said I don’t learn from my mistakes. I promise to respond to emails (almost) immediately from now on.

For the moment, I’ve stopped building sonics in order to take care of a couple of (really cool) lightsaber projects, as well as finally get the sound situation sorted out. Of the emails I get asking for sonic screwdrivers, just about all of them ask if I’ve been able to add sound. Two out of three decide to wait until I do, the other one asks for a sonic without sound. This results in just enough orders to keep me busy and unable to figure anything new out. That’s why I’ve decided to stop making them entirely for a bit while I tinker.

As far as the actual mechanism of the sound, I’ve got a few ideas and wouldn’t mind any extra ideas / opinions anyone wants to give. First off I’ve tried taking the board out of one of the $20 toys. It’s roughly the right size, but somehow I fried it before I could do anything with it. I’m hesitant to try again.

~Vadeblade on dA offered to help me with a system he designed using Arduino and an ATTiny85. He’s since written an Instructable about how he makes his sonics; it’s pretty awesome.

I think before I try anything with a speaker I want to see if I can work out a mechanical solution, maybe using a cellphone vibration motor. I’ll be adding one to my next parts order for lightsabers.

Speaking of lightsabers, I’m really excited about the two I’ll be making in the meantime. One is another of the Katarn sabers I’ve done before, but will full sound and an integrated battery and a crystal chamber. The other is a kind of spikier Mara Jade saber. This is going to be pretty epic.